US Venture Capital Investment Hits All-Time High in 2018

As the CFO of New 2nd Capital in New York City, Kate Merli oversees the onboarding, fund administration, cash flow planning, and valuation of client accounts managed by the company. With a postgraduate degree in accountancy from Bentley University, Kate Merli has solid knowledge and experience in many areas of finance, including private equity and venture capital.

The year 2018 was by far the biggest for United States-based startups, with a reported investment of $130.9 billion from venture capitalists, according to the joint report published by PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association. However, the number of deals decreased from 9,400 to 8,949 even though the investments in 2018 increased by more than 57 percent, from $87 billion in 2017.

According to the report, deals exceeding $100 million dominated among startup companies, venture capitalists, and private equity investors. One notable example was $1.3 billion for Epic Games, the video game company that created Fortnite. 

The report also revealed the significant growth of capital investments in life science startups, with more than $23 billion invested across 1,308 deals. California, New York, and Massachusetts remain the leading hubs for venture investment activity, with 79 percent of the total amount invested and 53 percent of the number of deals.